Kingdom of Sweden
Area: 449,964 sq km
Population: 9,234,209
Population density: 20 per sq km
Capital: Stockholm
Area: 449,964 sq km
Population: 9,234,209
Population density: 20 per sq km
Capital: Stockholm
Sweden country information
Passport & visa | Getting there | Cycling & maps | Cost of living | Accommodation | Food | Bike shops | Climate | Distances
Passport & Visa
| Passport Required? | |
|---|---|
| British | Yes |
| Australian | Yes |
| Canadian | Yes |
| USA | Yes |
| Other EU | 1 |
| Visa Required? | |
| British | No |
| Australian | No |
| Canadian | No |
| USA | No |
| Other EU | No |
Passports
Passport valid for at least
three months beyond length of stay required
by all nationals referred to in the chart above
except:
(a) 1. EU nationals holding a valid national ID card.
Note: EU nationals are only required to produce evidence of their EU nationality and identity in order to be admitted to any EU Member State. This evidence can take the form of a valid national passport or national identity card. Either is acceptable. Possession of a return ticket, any length of validity on their document, sufficient funds for the length of their proposed visit should not be imposed.
(a) 1. EU nationals holding a valid national ID card.
Note: EU nationals are only required to produce evidence of their EU nationality and identity in order to be admitted to any EU Member State. This evidence can take the form of a valid national passport or national identity card. Either is acceptable. Possession of a return ticket, any length of validity on their document, sufficient funds for the length of their proposed visit should not be imposed.
Passport Note
Sweden is
a signatory to the 1995 Schengen Agreement.
Visas
Not required
by nationals referred to in the chart above for
stays of up to 90 days.
Visa Note
Nationals
not referred to in the chart above are advised
to contact the embassy to check visa requirements.
Getting there
Getting There by Air
The national airline is SAS
Scandinavian Airlines System (SK) (website:
www.sas.se
).
Approximate Flight Times
From London
to Stockholm is 2 hours 30 minutes and to
Gothenburg is 2 hours. From New
York to Stockholm is 10 hours.
Main Airports
Stockholm
(STO) (Arlanda) (website:
www.lfv.se
) is 42km (26 miles) north of the city. To/from
the airport: There are frequent bus services
operating between the airport and the city (journey
time - 40 minutes). Arlanda Express trains
leave for the city frequently throughout the day
(journey time - 20 minutes). Trains travel to
a range of destinations, including Sundsvall,
Falun, Mora and Uppsala from the airport. Taxis
are also available. There are regular buses to
the city centre.
Facilities: Duty-free shop, car hire, banks/bureaux de change, ATM, restaurant/bar, coffee shop and tourist information.
Gothenburg (GOT) (Landvetter) (website: www.landvetter.lfv.se ) is 24km (15 miles) east of the city (journey time - 25 minutes). To/from the airport: Coach services are frequent between the airport and the Central Station. Buses and taxis are available into Gothenburg, as well as to and from Copenhagen (journey time - 50 minutes).
Facilities: Duty-free shop, car hire, bank/bureau de change, restaurant/bar and coffee shop.
Malmö Sturup (MMX) (website: www.sturup.com ) is 31km (20 miles) east of the city(journey time - 35 minutes). To/from the airport: Bus and taxi services link the airport with the city.
Facilities: Bureau de change and a duty-free shop.
For more information on the airports, contact LFV (Swedish Airports and Air Navigation Services) (website: www.lfv.se ).
Facilities: Duty-free shop, car hire, banks/bureaux de change, ATM, restaurant/bar, coffee shop and tourist information.
Gothenburg (GOT) (Landvetter) (website: www.landvetter.lfv.se ) is 24km (15 miles) east of the city (journey time - 25 minutes). To/from the airport: Coach services are frequent between the airport and the Central Station. Buses and taxis are available into Gothenburg, as well as to and from Copenhagen (journey time - 50 minutes).
Facilities: Duty-free shop, car hire, bank/bureau de change, restaurant/bar and coffee shop.
Malmö Sturup (MMX) (website: www.sturup.com ) is 31km (20 miles) east of the city(journey time - 35 minutes). To/from the airport: Bus and taxi services link the airport with the city.
Facilities: Bureau de change and a duty-free shop.
For more information on the airports, contact LFV (Swedish Airports and Air Navigation Services) (website: www.lfv.se ).
Getting There by Water
Main
ports: Gothenburg (website:
www.portgot.se
), Sundsvalls Hamn (website:
www.sundsvallshamn.se
), Hargs Hamn (website:
www.hargshamn.se
) and Trelleborg (website:
www.tralleborgshamn.se
).
There is no longer a direct ferry link between the UK and Sweden, but DFDS (tel: (042) 266 000; website: www.dfdsseaways.se ) operates services from Newcastle to Norway and from Harwich to Denmark. There are also ferry connections from Swedish ports to other destinations including Copenhagen, Gdansk, Helsingør, Kiel, Klaipeda, Oslo, Riga, St Petersburg and Tallinn.
Öresund Runt Card: This pass enables visitors to travel on both sides of the Öresund sound (Sweden and Denmark) on boats or trains. The ticket can be bought from the Malmo Tourism Office at Central Station.
There is no longer a direct ferry link between the UK and Sweden, but DFDS (tel: (042) 266 000; website: www.dfdsseaways.se ) operates services from Newcastle to Norway and from Harwich to Denmark. There are also ferry connections from Swedish ports to other destinations including Copenhagen, Gdansk, Helsingør, Kiel, Klaipeda, Oslo, Riga, St Petersburg and Tallinn.
Öresund Runt Card: This pass enables visitors to travel on both sides of the Öresund sound (Sweden and Denmark) on boats or trains. The ticket can be bought from the Malmo Tourism Office at Central Station.
Getting There by Rail
One UK-Sweden
route is from London to Hook of Holland or
Ostend, and onwards via Copenhagen (journey time
- 22 to 25 hours). There are connections by ferry
from Denmark and through rail routes from Norway
(Oslo, Narvik and Trondheim). However, the quickest
route is to take the Eurostar train to
Brussels, and then to catch a connection to Hamburg
and on to Stockholm.
The Swedish high-speed train x2000 travels from Oslo to Stockholm/Gothenburg. Inlandsbanan (inland railway) (tel: (0771) 535 353; website: www.inlandsbanan.se ) is a route from Kristinehamn (Mid-Sweden) to Gällivare (North). It is a privately-owned company offering tours during the summer months. Bicycles can be taken on the trains.
Connex AB operates trains from Stockholm to Gothenburg. Other destinations on the route include Kiruna, Luleå, Umeå and Sundsvall.
The Swedish high-speed train x2000 travels from Oslo to Stockholm/Gothenburg. Inlandsbanan (inland railway) (tel: (0771) 535 353; website: www.inlandsbanan.se ) is a route from Kristinehamn (Mid-Sweden) to Gällivare (North). It is a privately-owned company offering tours during the summer months. Bicycles can be taken on the trains.
Connex AB operates trains from Stockholm to Gothenburg. Other destinations on the route include Kiruna, Luleå, Umeå and Sundsvall.
Rail Passes
InterRail:
offers unlimited first- or second-class travel
in up to 30 European countries for European residents
of over six months with two pass options. The
Global Pass allows travel for
22 days, one month, five days in 10 days or 10
days in 22 days across all countries. The One-Country
Pass offers travel for three, four, six or
eight days in one month in any of the countries
except Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro. Travel
is not allowed in the passenger's country of residence.
Travellers under 26 years receive a reduction.
Children's tickets are reduced by about 50%. Supplements
are required for some high-speed services, seat
reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered
on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available
from Rail Europe (tel: 0844 848 4064,
in the UK; website:
www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail
).
Eurailpass: offers unlimited first-class train travel in 17 European countries. Tickets are valid for 15 days, 21 days, one month, two months or three months. The Eurailpass Saver ticket offers discounts for two or more people travelling together. The Eurailpass Youth ticket is available to those under 26 and offers unlimited second-class train travel. The Eurailpass Flexi allows either 10 or 15 travel days within a two-month period. The Eurail Selectpass is valid in three, four or five bordering countries and allows five, six, eight or 10 travel days (or 15 for five countries) in a two-month period. The Eurail Regional Pass allows four to 10 travel days in a two-month period in one of nine regions (usually two or more countries). Children receive a 50% reduction. The passes cannot be sold to residents of Europe, Turkey, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia or the Russian Federation. Available from The Eurail Group (website: http://www.eurail.com/ ).
ScanRail: allows unlimited travel within Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Valid for five, eight or 10 days in two months or 21 consecutive days. Available from Rail Europe (tel: 0844 848 4064, in the UK; website: www.raileurope.co.uk/railpasses/scanrail.htm ).
Eurailpass: offers unlimited first-class train travel in 17 European countries. Tickets are valid for 15 days, 21 days, one month, two months or three months. The Eurailpass Saver ticket offers discounts for two or more people travelling together. The Eurailpass Youth ticket is available to those under 26 and offers unlimited second-class train travel. The Eurailpass Flexi allows either 10 or 15 travel days within a two-month period. The Eurail Selectpass is valid in three, four or five bordering countries and allows five, six, eight or 10 travel days (or 15 for five countries) in a two-month period. The Eurail Regional Pass allows four to 10 travel days in a two-month period in one of nine regions (usually two or more countries). Children receive a 50% reduction. The passes cannot be sold to residents of Europe, Turkey, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia or the Russian Federation. Available from The Eurail Group (website: http://www.eurail.com/ ).
ScanRail: allows unlimited travel within Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Valid for five, eight or 10 days in two months or 21 consecutive days. Available from Rail Europe (tel: 0844 848 4064, in the UK; website: www.raileurope.co.uk/railpasses/scanrail.htm ).
Getting There by Road
From the
UK visitors can either drive to Sweden through
Europe via Denmark or Germany.
The Øresund Fixed Link, spanning 16km (10 miles) of waterway, joins the cities of Malmö (Sweden) and Copenhagen (Denmark). The link comprises a suspension bridge and an underwater tunnel, joined in the middle by an artificial island. It was designed to provide better connections between the Scandinavian peninsula and the European continent.
Coach: There are services from London to a number of Swedish cities throughout the year, taking approximately 30 hours (restricted service in winter). Eurolines (tel: 0870 514 3219, in the UK; website: www.eurolines.com ) runs regular coach services to Sweden. Passes: Travellers can either book a 15- or a 30-day pass.
The Øresund Fixed Link, spanning 16km (10 miles) of waterway, joins the cities of Malmö (Sweden) and Copenhagen (Denmark). The link comprises a suspension bridge and an underwater tunnel, joined in the middle by an artificial island. It was designed to provide better connections between the Scandinavian peninsula and the European continent.
Coach: There are services from London to a number of Swedish cities throughout the year, taking approximately 30 hours (restricted service in winter). Eurolines (tel: 0870 514 3219, in the UK; website: www.eurolines.com ) runs regular coach services to Sweden. Passes: Travellers can either book a 15- or a 30-day pass.
